Cutter head for well drills



Feb. 7, 1933; I SIMMONS 1,896,109

CUTTER HEAD FOR WELL DRILLS Filed Feb. 5, 1930 4 Sheets$heet 2 2/ 5 57 g; a 25 5 9 5a 27 /29 Mum 4b 25 R 4/ 20 1 52 v INVENTOR flit/WRDFSIMMOMS;

ATTORNEY Feb. 7, 1933. R. P. SIMMONS CUTTER HEAD FOR WELL DRILLS Filed Feb. 5, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 llll INVENTOR EIzMgpESJAIMo/IG; aka/60m,

ATTORNEY Feb. 7, 1933. v R. P. swmous cuw mn HEAD FOR WELL DRILLS Filed Feb. 3, 1930 4 SheetsSheet 4 Qww ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 77,1933

nrcnmn r. summons; or New YORK, N. Y.

CUTTER HEAD FOR WELL DRILLS v a lmuonmea February a, mo. SerialNo. 425,645.

This invention relates to drilling apparatus and has particular reference to cutting heads therefor. I I

In the drilling of deep wells by various known methods, the standard practice frequently includes the sinking of a well casin as the drilling progresses, to line the walls of the hole and prevent collapse thereof during drilling as well as subsequent thereto though the well may also be provided with a lining or wall of cement or the like, to effectively resist corrosion, as shown, forinstance in mycopending application Serial No. 386,353 filed August 16, 1929.

The drilling may be accomplished by Various'pereus'sive or rotary methods; but, however accomplished, the diameter of the well bore produced by the drill or cutter is less m than the diameter required for the well cas- Hence, it is necessary to enlarge the bore produced by the drill or cutter to accommodate the casing or lining"; and for this purpose various types of independent or separate underreaming means have been employed, as shown for instance, in my copending application Serial No. 401,447,filed October 22, 1929. In this latter application I disclose underreaming elements which areexpansible beyond the circumferential limit of the bore as produced by the drill or cutter, whereby the bore is suitably enlarged to accommodate the casing, the ex a'nsion and retraction of the u'nderreaming e emerits i being controlled at will by means of externally accessible operating rods.

In my said application SerialNm 401,447, and also in other types of drills heretofore employed the underreaming is roduced at a point some distance. above the horizontal plane of'the drill bit or cutter. To facilitate the drilling of the well'it is desirable that the casing or lining be advanced as expeditiously as possible; and to this end I disclose in my co-pending application Serial No; 283,847,

filed June 8, 1928, means whereby the'underreaming for thecasing takes place at the bottom of the holein close proximity to the main cutting elements, whereby the underreaming for the casing takes place practically simultaneously with the drilling of the ,in the opposite direction.

bore, theunderreaming elements inthesaid application being efli'ec'tive during rotation of the cutter head in one direction, and ineffective during rotation of the cutter head tioned constructionincludes, among its several advantages, the feature that underrear'ning and cutting elements, and the operating means for the underreaming elements, are all normally located'so as not to extend substantially within the internal limit of the hollow cutter head. Such internal extension or retraction of the underreaming elements while not undesirable in cases where the underreaming is accomplished at some distance above the bottom of the hole, would be distinctly disadvantageous if the same existed at the plane of the main cutting elements or bits, due to the necessity for providing a core barrel or the like for' trapping hard formation or receiving debris or' cuttings of loose formations. g

" Furthermore,underreamers as heretofore employed have been more or less unsa'tisfac-v tory for certain uses due to the fact that the expansion of said elements beyond the limits of the main bore has generally been in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the well bore, or at an upwardly inclined angle thereto. These latter arrangements have not enabled the underreaming elements to exert an efficient cutting action upon the wall of the bore, which action should desirably be commensurate with the eutting action swing-able at a downwardly inclined, efiicient,

cutting angle for underreaming purposesor for producing a bore of larger diameter than defined by the diameter of the cutter head itself. 7 r

This last men- Another object is to pivotally mount the swingable cutting elements at the lower part of the cutter head and to enable the cutting elements to be swung outward to different degree, and back to normal position, by means located within the wall of the cutter head and accessible for manipulation or operation from above ground.

A further object is to enable the cutting elements to be readily removable from their pivotal mountings, for purposes of replacement, resharpening or otherwise.

A still further object is to render the pivotal mountings for the cutting elements easily removable with or without the cutting elements themselves.

Yet another object is to provide a cutter head having angular cutting elements certain of which may be used for cutting a bore of the normal diameter while'others may be simultaneously used for enlarging said nor mal diameter bore; whereby, also, a plurality of relatively narrow cutting elements may produce a relativelywide cut.

Still another object is to provide a plurality of cut-ting elements on a single pivotally mounted swingable unit, whereby to reduce the required number of operating rods or other operating means, the units being suitably spaced apart.

A still further object is to enable cutting elements to be movably mounted on their pivotal mountings, whereby different types of bits or cutters may be employed in accordance with the general concept of this invention, as for instance, rotary bits which may be of cylindrical, conical, angular or other form.

Other objects are to simplify and improve the construction of cutter heads, so that the same may be applied to the lower or head section of a rotatable casing, or to a drill head rotatable within the well casing, or to other parts of practically any type ofdrill, percussive, plunger, or rotary.

With the above indicated objects in View, and others which will hereinafter appear, the invention resides in certain novel construe tions and combinations and arrangements of parts, clearly described in the following specification and fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which latter show embodiments of the invention as at present preferred.

In said drawings: Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a drill head in which the bits are shown in a retracted position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a partial top plan View of the same.

Fig. 4 is a view like Fig. 1, but showing the bits in an extended position.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken centrally of Fig. 4c. 7

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 3.

P Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 8 is a. fragmentary perspective view of the inner side of an outer section of a drill head.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the outer side of an inner section of a drill head.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a pair of drill bits.

Fig. 11 is a perspective View of a pair of drill bits heads or pivotal mountings.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a pair of drill bit base or cutting portions, shown in spaced relation and removed from their pivotal mountings.

Fig. 13 is an elevational view of a modified form of drill head.

Fig. 14 is a vertical section taken centrally of Fig. 13. c

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the drill head shown in Fig. 13.

Fig. 16 is a view like Fig. 13, but showing someof the drill bits in extended positions.

Fig. 17 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of Fig. 16. c

Fig. 18 is a sectional view taken on the line 1818 of Fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is a section taken on the line l919 of Fig. 15.

Fig. 20 is a section taken on the line 20-20 of Fig. 15.

Fig. 21 is a section on the line 212l of Fig. 17.

Fig. 22 is a section on the line 22-22 of Fig. 15.

Fig. 23 is a fragmentary outside perspective of an inner section of the drill head shown in Fig. 19.

Fig. 24 is a perspective view of the inner side of a retaining plate, as used with the modified form of drill head shown in Figs. 13 to 26.

Fig. 25 is a perspective inside view of one of the pivotal. mountings for the cutting bits shown injsaid modified form; and

Fig. 26 is a perspective View of the opposite side of the pivotal mounting shown in Fig. 25.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 12 of the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the tubular wall of a drill or cutter head, within the hollow or open center of which portions of the drilling apparatus, such as an earth retracting device, (not shown) may be provided.

The cutter head 10 in this instance includes an inner section 11 and an outer section 12; and this cutter head is removabl) attachable to a core barrel, as for example by means of internal threads 13 on the section 11 which are adapted to co-act with mating threads provided on a reduced terminal portion of a core barrel, so that the outer surfaces of the said core barrel and the section ternal'threads'l5 on the section 11 for attaching the said sections 12 and 11. a I

' Transversely curved or arcuate recesses 16 are provided between the sections 11 and 12 for accommodating the head portions or pivotal mountings 17 provided for the drill bit or cutting units 18. Slots 19 communicate with the recesses 16; and these slots 19 extend downwardly to the exterior of the cutter 'head, to receive the necks 20 of the pivotal mountings 17 of thecutting units 18, the outer walls of these slots 19 preferably extending at a divergingangle. Communicating also with the recesses 16 are vertical bores or passages 21, in which rods 22 are reciprocable for swinging the cutting devices,

there being an car 23 on each. pivotal mounting 17,.t o which said rods are hingedly attachedbymeans of pins 24 or like instrumentalities. The-rods 22 are preferably bifurcated as seen at 25 to receive the cars 23, the bifurcations having apertures therein to receive the pins 24. V

In this instance each rod 22 includes a plurality ofcoupled sections. As seen in Figs. 2,5 and 6 the sections are united by areollar 26, each collar providing a. stop for its rod to limit the swinging movement of each cutting unit 18, thewall of the passage 21 in the cutter head 10 being stepped at 27 between the lower or restricted portion of the respective passage 21 and the upper'enlarged diameter portion thereof. The opposed walls of the slots 19, with which the necks 20 are adapted to contact, also form stops for limiting the movements of the cutting units. Fastening elements 28 secure the necks 20 in the base portions of the cutting units 18, there being apertures 29 in the latter to receive said fastening elements; and fastening elements 330 secure the threaded inner and 7 vided with a plurality of terminals 31 which are formed between the ends 32. These edges are continuous with edgeswhich bound openings 34 in the units 18, the openings 34 being formed between each pair of terminals 31, and also between each pair of units 18.3

Continuous with the outer edges of the terminal portions 31 of each cutting unit, are edges which extend to the top of the base portions of the cutting units, at the cutter head 10. The openings 34 tend to facilitate movement of debris or excavated matter from one side of the base portions of the units 18 to the other. To insure freedom of movement of the pivotal mountings 17 in their recesses,

during turning movement, the heads of said' accomplished."

pivotal mountings are preferably tapered slightly towards their opposite ends. An important feature of the present construction resides in the fact that the rods 22 may beomitted entirely, if desired so that the cutting units 18 will be freel movable inwardly and outwardly during t e percussive or chopping action of the cutter head 10, thus rendering the cutter head particularly eflicient'whenworking in .more or less loose formations. The angularity of the cutting elements tends to force the cutters outward as the cutter head descends, causing the cutting or chopping action to be effective over a considerably wider area than when the cutting units are secured in a fixed position, whether the latter be vertical or vinclined.

Furthermore, the omission of the rods 22 enables the cutter unit mountings 17 to have a free movement in the annular groove or recess 16 so that even though the cutter head may be reciprocated without itself rotating, the cutter units willbe capable of a free rotative movement relative to the cutter head, thus contributingito the drilling vellieiency of the cutter head, as will be understood. I

()nedisadvantage of prior constructions is that it has been necessary to plaster the wall of the bore with mud or the like during the drilling, to support the wall and prevent-the same from caving in against the. drill tools before the well casing has been extended. Such plastering with mud or the like is disart; and to obviate the same it is a further object of my invention to support the wall of the well bore between the outer circumferential plane of the well casing and the main bore by means of pressure fluid, as for instance compressed air, which I admit to the .1100 advantageous for reasons well known in the well bore at any desired point. The establishment and maintenance of such pressure condition supports the wall and effectually prevents caving in of the ground until the casing has been extended, it being understood that the area under suchv pressurewill only extend from the upper terminusof the casing, where the bore may be sealed, to the bottom of the hole being drilled. In the present application I illustrate one preferred manner'in which the foregoing results are A suitable conduit 36, supplies air under pressure to the exterior of the cutter head 10, to support the earth, or any loose portions thereof, against collapse, during the drilling operation. or for other purposes, it being understood that a space may exist, to receive the well casing orlining between the bottom of the latter and the surface being drilled. This conduit in the present instance connects with a duct or passage 37, formed in the cutter head 10, the duct 37 being continued to the outer surface through a threaded insertion plug 38, provided in the outer wall of the cutter head. Any desired number of conduits 36 may be used.

In the modified structure shown in Fig. 13 to 26, the cutter head carries positively controllable, directly inwardly and outwardly swingable cutting units in the form of rotary bits 18, for cutting earth or the like, to provide a bore of greater diameter than that of the said cutter head 10. Each of these bits 18 is provided with a. pivotal mounting l7 and a neck or stem 20. This pivotal mounting is formed with terminal trunnions 39, mounted and turnable in substantiallythe same manner as in the case of the cutting units 18, there being an operating rod 22 and an car 23 for that purpose. In this instance, however, the stem 20 has a stop plate 40, at its lower end. A revolvable retaining collar is provided on said stem 20 above the stop plate 40; and this collar 40 and the stop plate 40, are operatively connected to the cutting unit 18' by means of bushing 41.

Notched disks 42' provided between the cutting units 18' are adapted to cut a central groove in the surface being drilled, and a fixed rotary bit 43 is eliective to cut a wider groove along said central groove in the drilled surface, which Wider groove extends slightly internally of the plane of the inner surface of the cutter head 10. Outer sub- H sections 12 and 12 hold the respective cutting units 18 and 43 in position, while outer subsections 44 are effective to hold the cutting" disks 42 in place. A plurality of these disks '42 and cutting units 18 and 43 are provided, as may be found desirable.

Each subsection 12 or retaining plateis internally formed with a suitable recess 16' to receive one side of the pivotal mountin 17,- and each inner section of the cutter hea 10' is formed with a mating recess 16 to receive the opposite side of the pivotal mounting 17 The end portions of the recesses 16 and 16 are formed to accommodate the trunnions 39, as indicated at 39 and 39a. Each of the rotary cutting units 18 includes a plurality of cutting bit edges or elements 45.

As the cutting elements shown and described in Figs. 1 to 12 inclusive are particularly adapted for percussive or chisselling action, the drill cutter head may also be made rectangular or square instead of circular in cross section, in which case the opposed walls of the cutter head may terminate in dili'erent upper and lower planes, so that the cuts or excavations formed by the cutting elements of the opposed walls may terminally intersect, or meet, to completely detach the central core from the side walls of thebore,

For the" rectangular structure, the bits will, of course, be straight, rather than arcuate, as illustrated. The rectangular structure will be found advantageous for drilling shafts for elevators, highways or the like, in which angular structures of various kinds, rather than annular tubes, are installed.

The hereinbefore described constructions admit of considerable modification without departing from the invention; therefore, it is the wish not to be limited to the precise arrangements shown and described, which are as aforesaid, by way of illustration merely. In other words, the scope of protection contemplated is to be taken solely from the appended claims, interpreted as broadly as is consistent with the prior art.

What I claim as new, is:

1. A drilling device including a hollow tubular cutter head having recesses therein, cutting units movably mounted in said recesses, a plurality of cutting terminals on each of said cutting units, said units being swingable directly outwardly to position the same beyond the normal plane of said cutter head, and elongated control elements for swinging said units.

2. A drilling device including co-acting outer and inner head sections, said sections having recesses therebetween, swingable bit units normally disposed within the plane of said sections and beneath the same, said units including portions movable insaid recesses, cutting elements rigidly associated with said movable portions, and elongated actuators attached to said movable portions for swinging the latter and hence said cutting elements directly outwardly beyond the normal plane of said outer head section.

3. A drill device including a cutter head having recesses therein and bores communicating with said recesses, cutting elements including portions turnably mounted in said recesses and swingable inwardly and out wardly, and elongate members guided in said bores, said members attached to said turnably mounted portions and adapted to swing said cutting unitsto selected operative positions.

4. A drill head including a wall having recesses therein, cutting units turnably mounted in said recesses and normally disposed in the plane of said wall and beneath the latter, said cutting units swingable outwardly to position the same beyond the plane of said wall, said wall having bores communicating with said recesses, rods guided in said bores and operatively connected to said units for turning the latter outwardly, and stops on said rods adapted to contact with portions of said wall to arrest the outward swinging movement of said cutting units.

5. In a drilling apparatus a cutter head including a reciprocable rod, said rod having bifurcated terminals, said terminals hav ing apertures therein, and a cutting unit at rigid with its mounting and including a plurality of cutting elements, and a pin disposed in the apertures of said ear and bifurcated terminals, whereby movement of said rod is effective to turn said mounting and swing said cutting unit outward beyond the norma plane of said cutter head.

6. In a drill head, a wall portion having a rod reciprocable therein, said wall having a bore for said rod, said wall having an elongated recess in communication with said said bore, and said rod including perforated" bifurcated terminals; a cutting unit includ-' ing an elongated mounting having a lateral perforated ear thereon, a swingable cutting terminal rigid with said elongated mounting, and extending downwardly beneath the drill head, said mounting turnable on its longitudinal axis, in said recess, and a pin disposed in the perforations of said bifurcated terminals and of said ear, whereby movement of said rod is effective to swing said cutting terminal outwardly to a plane beyond the base of said wall and at an inclination to the longitudinal axis of said drill head.

7. In a drill head, a wall portion having rods reciprocable therein, said wall including bores for said rods and elongated recesses to communicate with said bores, said rods including perforated terminals; cutting ,units at the base of said drill head, said units including swingable mountings, latera1 perforated ears on said mountings, said cutting units rigid with said swingable mountings, said mountings turnable on their longitudinal axes, and pins disposed in the perforations of said terminals and ears, whereby movement of said rods is effective to swing said cutting units outwardly beyond the plane of said wall portion.

8. A drilling device including a hollow tubular cutter head having an internal circumferential recess therein,and cutting units mounted in said recess and provided with means for adjustment angularly of saidcutter head. I

9. Cutting means for drilling wells comprising a circular series of cutting elements in end toend relation, a tubular body, means for mounting the cutting elements on the tubular body, and means operable from a remote point of control for swinging the cutting elementsin circular formation outwardly of the tubular body to cut a path larger than the tubular body.

10. Cutting means for drilling wells comprising a tubular body having a curved end face, a series of cutting elements formed with corresponding end faces, ball members mounted for turning in the tubular body and connected to the cutting elements, and means operable for turning the ball members to and adapted for connection with a compressed air supply source.

12. A cutter head for well drilling comprising a carrying member, a series of cutters of which each is swingingly mounted on the lower end of the carrying member and is in the form of a sector of'a ring, and provided with cutting teeth on its lower edge, said cutters in their innermost positions be-. ing in end to end relation to form a ring, and actuating means for the cutters to swing them beyond the outer periphery of the carrying member to enlarge the bore of the well being drilled.

' 13. A cutter head for well drilling comprising a carrying member, a series of outters of which each is swingingly mounted on the lower end of the carrying member and is in the form of a sector of a ring and rovided with cutting teeth on its lower e go, said cutters in their innermost positions being in end to end relation to form a ring, and actuatin means for the cutters to swing them beyond the outer periphery of the carrying member to enlarge the bore of the well being drilled, said cutters having their axes of swinging movement in angularly related vertical planes.

14. A cutter head for well drilling comprising'a carry-ing member, a series of cutters of which each is swingingly mounted on the lower end of the carrying member and is in the form of a sector of'a ring and pronature.

RICHARD P. SIMMONS. 

